Dancing in Brighton
by Lionheart 39
Summary: Having just finished reading The Dying Days, Happy Endings and Shadows of Avalon. The one thread that runs through is the Brigadier's wife is much younger and they love each other dearly. So how did they meet? It can't be the way the other books suggest!


"Brighton of all places!" the Brigadier muttered.

John Benton who was driving the Brigadier's staff car and Mike Yates, who was sitting in the front passenger seat, both had to smile.

"Why couldn't they come up to London?" Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart asked with annoyance. He was also rather peeved by the police out riders that had met them out side the Brighton City Limits. "I thought we were being inconspicuous." he muttered "and they supply an escort with blue flashing lights. We may as well have a neon sign with an arrow pointing at us!"

" The chief constable said it was for our safety, Sir." Yates chipped in.

"Our safety? Two unarmed out riders? You and I are armed with pistols, Mr Benton has a sub machine gun and concealed in the car's arsenal are enough armament's to take out half a Tank Regiment. I think those two out riders are probably the best protected police officers in the UK!"

Mike Yates noticed Benton grinning.

"Remove the grin, Mr Benton," the Brigadier snapped.

The Sargent straightened his face.

They pulled up outside the Royal Hotel and saw several senior police officers in dress uniform and a small guard of honour!

Yates couldn't make out what the Brig had muttered but he had a good idea.

The day had been long and tedious. The round of meetings had been in a rather stuffy conference room that faced out on to a sea front lined with holiday makers enjoying the unusually hot October day. John Benton stole quick glances out of the window and wished he was out there too.

Benton collected the Brigadier's case and his files to take and secure in the wall safe in the Brigadier's suite.

The Brig said. "Mr Yates, you and Benton take the evening off. Report back by 23:00 hours. No reason we all have to suffer an evening of listening to the chief constables views on aliens."

"Thank you, Sir." The Capt. said snapping a salute.

At 8.30 p.m. Alistair was relieved when the Chief constable had been called away by his wife due to a family emergency.

He looked at his watch and decided to slip out of the hotel and take a walk down the front. He had changed into civvies for the meal and had felt underdressed as the chief constable had been in full regalia. But after sitting all day in his uniform he had wanted something cooler to wear at the meal.

As he walked towards the pier he could hear dance music, not the blaring modern stuff but the dance music of his youth. He remembered mess dinners were every officer had to dance with the C.O's wife. How Fiona had hated the pomp of mess dinners, but they had always enjoyed the dancing, he had fallen in love with Fiona, while dancing with her. He looked down at his left hand were his wedding ring had been. He closed his eyes for a moment and then headed into the pier bar. He would listen to the music while he enjoyed a pint, before returning to the hotel and the paperwork. The bar was smoky and suffocating so he took his drink outside to sit on a bench at the side of the fire escape.

On the pier a young lady was trying to get the steps of the foxtrot right. The young man with her was not impressed.

"Oh come on, Dor, why are you messing around learning this rubbish? There is a Disco on at The Golden Lion."

The young lady, Dor, did not look impressed.

"Helen and Tom have already gone there." The young man wheedled.

The young lady just looked back into the dance hall watching how the other women did the dance steps and tried again.

"Tom was right, you are weird, liking this old fashioned rubbish!" the young man stormed off.

The girl tried a back step and collided with the seat Alistair was sitting on.

"You are missing out the slide of your left foot to your right before you step back." he told her.

She jumped, "Oh sorry, I didn't see you."

Alistair smiled, "Sorry to make you jump," he said " for the lady it's right back step, left back step, right side step, slide your left foot to your right. Then repeat."

She tried it and smiled. "Thank you kind Sir, would you like to join me?"

Alistair laughed, "Why not." He stood up and held her like you held the C.O.'s wife at a mess dance. In a very proper way if you didn't want to find yourself on the wrong side of the man who could make or break your career.

Now that she had got the hang of the basic steps this young lady was really very good, a natural in fact. Alistair was quite enjoying the dancing, they were just finishing their third dance. When Yates and Benton, both in uniform, had come out the fire door and stood looking open mouthed at the C.O. dancing with a rather beautiful young lady; and what's more smiling!

As the music stopped Alistair saw his men. " Err.. Yates, Benton." Both men snapped to attention and saluted.

Alistair returned the salute.

"This young lady, is mastering the Foxtrot."

"He smiled at the young woman, both these gentlemen are excellent dances. This is Capt. Yates and Sargent Major Benton. This is Miss ..."

She smiled "Doris Bryden."

Well "I'll leave you all to it, please, make sure the young lady gets home safe at the end of the evening."

Both men braced up with a "Sir."

The young woman looked at him wistfully, "Aren't you staying?"

He smiled at her "Sorry, but I've got a busy day tomorrow and I still have a lot of work to do before then."

He was rather flattered by the disappointed look she gave him. But he knew that she would have a nice evening with the two young men. He was sure Yates and Benton would be trying to out do each other to impress the young lady.

At breakfast he observed both of his subordinates, he had expected one of them to be smirking and the other to be glum. What he hadn't expected was that both young men looked like they had lost a shilling and found a penny. He saw the Chief Constable's car draw up so had no more time to think about it.

At the end of the day he passed his case on to Benton. "Did one of you see the young lady back safe to her lodgings last night John? " he enquired.

"Yes, Sir."

"Good."

"Are, you having dinner with the brass tonight, Sir?"

"No Benton, do you and Mike want to join me or do you have plans?"

"Ill book you a table for two, 7.30pm be ok, Sir."

Alistair nodded and smiled, he wondered which of them would be taking Doris out this evening.

He kept his uniform on for dinner, Yates or Benton would be in uniform. Afterwards he expected the young man would be out on the town and a uniform always impressed the ladies.

The hotel had a dance evening in the ballroom advertised for 8.30 pm, he saw from the information in his room. He imagined Miss Bryden would enjoyed that. The ballroom at the hotel was quite impressive. He hoped Yates or Benton had seen the advert.

At 7.30 he was shown to a table near the window. He was staring out looking to see if he could spot Benton or Yates leaving for their evening out. He was surprised to see both young men leaving together. Alistair heard a cough from the waiter and looked up to see Doris in a wonderful blue dress, that matched her eyes. With the light shimmering through her hair, she looked beautiful. The waiter raised an eyebrow and Alistair remembered his manners and stood up as the waiter pulled the chair out for Doris.

Doris smiled at him, as he retook his seat still staring at her in surprise. "Lovely to see you again Alistair. Dinner and dancing afterwards such a treat, thank you."

The evening had passed by much too quickly for both of them. He walked her back to her flat. They had set off with Doris holding his arm; by the end of the walk the pair of them were holding hands. She was 21 years his junior but when they shared a kiss he felt as though he was 25 again.

Doris had invited him in for coffee.

Benton and Yates both looked glum as they re-entered UNIT H.Q. The Brigadier on the other hand was smiling and seemed to be in an excellent mood. He smiled at Sarah Jane Smith as he passed her in the corridor.

"So what's up with you two," she asked, "I thought you were both looking forward to the Brighton trip, didn't you find any young ladies to charm, while you were there."

Mike Yates just snorted and walked off.

Sarah smiled, "You didn't steal the girl he fancied, did you Sargent?"

The Sargent gloomily shook his head. "No, there was a very lovely young lady but she had her heart set on someone else."

"Oh, so she led you both along to make this other man jealous!"

"No, Miss, she led us along to find out all she could about the man she fancied, then set a perfect trap for him."

Sarah looked puzzled then she remembered the Brigadier's smile and she laughed.

A year later at Doris and the Brigadier's wedding Sarah met the small, delicate, but strong minded lady who had a real knowing twinkle in her eye. It was obvious she had set her heart on the Brigadier. Sarah had never seen the Brig, so happy so she figured that the age difference didn't matter.

"I'm glad the Brigadier is so happy, no one deserves it more." Sarah said to Mike Yates.

" I think he's met his match there," Mike said smiling. "when the Brigadier left us, on the evening they met, I spent half the night dancing and talking with Doris. It was only when John and I were returning from walking her home we realised our only topic of conversation all evening had been the Brig. As soon as she knew he was unattached then he was the only one for her!


End file.
